The 2026 sports media landscape

How do consumers watch sports in 2026?

Whether viewers are tuning in to watch the Super Bowl, March Madness or an international event like the Olympics, there’s no doubt that watching sports is popular across generations.​

But how does the average consumer watch sports in 2026, and which devices and channels are the most popular? We wanted to better understand how consumers across generations watch sports today so marketers like you can make more informed and strategic decisions and better reach your audience.

Our research covered topics ranging from:

• How consumers feel about commercials when they're watching sports
• Where they get sports information (like AI, social media or a traditional search engine)
• The top platforms for watching sports content
• Viewers' favorite sports to watch, including men's and women's events, international events and professional versus college-level events
• What devices people use to watch sports (we also took a look at double-screening behavior here)

Let's dive into three of the high-level findings from the research to give you a head start.

3 key findings from Epsilon's sports media research

1. Commercials drive purchasing decisions.

Marketers, rejoice: When it comes to , 41% of sports viewers always or often watch them, while less than 20% rarely or never watch them. More than 40% of Gen Z, millennials and Gen X find commercials fun to watch, and only 21% across generations find them intrusive or annoying. So the next time finance questions whether it's a good idea to increase your ad spend, you can send them a copy of this research.

2. Nearly 20% of Gen Z and 16% of millennial sports viewers use AI to access sports information.

While traditional search engines like Google are still the primary way people access sports information, our research shows that a growing number of consumers (especially younger generations) are turning to AI tools to do the heavy lifting.

3. Sports viewers’ attention is spread across an increasing number of platforms.

We love to keep track of which platforms people use to watch TV and media, and sports is no different.

Major players like Amazon Prime Video, Cable and Netflix each have a solid percentage of consumers tuning in, but sports viewers also leverage platforms like Peacock and ESPN+ in their media stack, and that includes free, ad-supported, shared and premium accounts.

Key takeaways: Reach the modern sports viewer

When it comes to ad spending, we know consumers watch sports on a wide variety of platforms and channels.

To reach and connect with the right people, marketers need to understand what matters to each consumer so they can engage them with a relevant, personalized message.

​It's key to partner with a solution that focuses on understanding who you’re targeting and can reach them where they’re watching so you can connect with your audience even more effectively.

Learn how Epsilon Data can help you connect with more of your target audience.